When the past comes ahaunting - Part II
by Trice
Summary: Max and Logan search for a cure - very shippy stuff ahead. Some action and adventure. Read Part I first.
1. Default Chapter

AN: None of the characters are mine, yadda, yadda. This is a sequel to "When the past comes ahaunting". Starting with part three it's all new stuff I never posted before. Quick review of what has happened up to here - though you'd better go read the first story, cause this is just the bare skeleton of the plot: After the events in "Designate This", Max and Logan meet Natalie, a geneticist with a mysterious past. She agrees to help them find a cure. After that, well... read and find out.  
  
Part one  
  
The door of the cabin flew open and slammed on the wall. Just a bit harder and the door frame would have been no more.  
  
"What's up, Logan said you were in urgent need of help. Doesn't look like it to me."  
  
Natalie was sitting on the old couch, nursing a cup of coffee in her hands to warm up. This didn't look good at all. Max seemed pissed. And good old Logan had backed out of the deal, leaving Natalie to face it head on. Well, it wasn't as if she hadn't faced her share of monsters in her life, human or otherwise, Max would just be at the bottom of a long list. Just come right out with it and she won't have the time to kill you.  
  
"Logan asked me to help find a cure for the virus you carry."  
  
Max tensed, arching forward.  
  
"He did WHAT?"  
  
If she hadn't known she had absolutely perfect hearing she wouldn't have believed it. But that still left her reasoning to doubt, or rather Logan's. How could he not tell her about it? Did he think he could hide forever? She noticed the long line of test tubes, petri dishes, vials and assorted medical equipment cluttering the kitchen area.  
  
"You heard me, Max. And don't tell me you can't understand him at least on some level. In fact, I'm pretty sure you would have done the same."  
  
Natalie watched the young X5 with slight apprehension. Max had a tendency to run away at the worst possible times. Before the young girl could bolt, Natalie decided to go on the offensive: "Give me your arm."  
  
Max recoiled.  
  
"Hey, I need some tissue samples. Or am I wrong in assuming you want the cure, too?"  
  
Max grabbed a chair, turned it around and straddled it, streching out her arm. The girl certainly must have had her share of needle poking, Natalie mused as she grabbed some of the instruments that had arrived this morning. If she were to succeed she needed to earn her trust. If that would be as tough as with Nick, she had some hard times ahead. But no, this was not a repeat of the situation with Nick. She had to find a cure, no matter what. Or else she had a hunch she would feel too useless to go on.  
  
Max hadn't even blinked at the needle piercing her arm, but Natalie almost dropped the vial when Max attacked again:  
  
"What's in it for you?"  
  
Natalie went on as if she hadn't heard anything, stashing the samples in the fridge. She hadn't counted on being pinned face on to it after shutting the door.  
  
"I'm listening."  
  
What was wrong with this girl? She wouldn't be as easy to deflect as Logan. In a crazy moment's decision, Natalie decided to lay it all out. Well, almost all of it.  
  
"Why don't you make yourself comfortable while I tell you a bedtime story?"  
  
Max was so surprised, she let Natalie duck under her arms and head for the couch. What was wrong with this woman? She didn't look like she would be afraid of anything. Was it recklessness ? Or something else?  
  
"I mean it, Max, you're making me nervous."  
  
"If you ask me, you could use it." But she did as she was bid.  
  
"I used to be a coroner in Toronto before the pulse." Natalie watched the woman in front of her to gauge her reaction. In her days people hadn't reacted too well hearing about her profession. She had fought lots of battles over that and lost most of them. But Max seemed unfazed.  
  
"And?"  
  
"I worked the night shift. And one night, it was my 28th birthday, they brought in a very mangled corpse. The man had tried to deflect a pipe bomb and was torn to pieces in the process." Should she go on, or would Max think she had gone looney? After all, it wasn't her secret, a bit of censorship was needed.  
  
"That night I met Nick Knight, a cop with the Toronto PD. We became friends, I even fell in love with him and was very frustrated to see him keeping his distance. He had a genetic problem which made him go violent at times. His past had been marred by that and he felt guilty. I offered to help him, tried to find a cure for his condition. I failed."  
  
Natalie stopped and gulped down the rest of her coffee.  
  
"So I guess this is for me as well as for Logan and you. I'm probably just trying to make up for my failure."  
  
Now she did have Max' attention. But not in the way she had thought.  
  
"There is no such thing".  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said there is no such genetic condition to make you violent. At least not one where you could function as a cop without getting caught. The only thing could be a double Y chromosome, but then he would be a serial killer and quite asocial. Not the type to fall in love with, if you know what I mean."  
  
If she only knew. But she had to give it to her, Max was exceptionally bright. Natalie could imagine what Max thought: a former coroner in love with a genetically deficient violent cop.  
  
"So, aren't you going to tell me what happened? Or are you afraid I'll have nightmares form your bedtime story?"  
  
"I can't tell you more because I don't really remember how it all ended. He almost killed me one night and then I think he felt so guilty he killed himself."  
  
"Ah, Romeo and Juliet, pre- Pulse version, huh? You haven't gone looking for him?"  
  
"They told me he died. I ended up in the US and couldn't go back. There were complications with his family."  
  
"You must be joking? Oh well, it's your problem. You want to dish out lies, it's none of my business after all. All I want to know is that you contact no one besides Logan or me and that you can find that cure. Gotta blaze."  
  
Natalie sighed as the door slammed shut for the second time that morning. Oh, well, so much for telling the truth in its barest form. What would have happened if she had added all the details?  
  
Max revved up her bike and headed for Logan's. The man was so lucky she had taken out her anger on Natalie... In fact she missed him so much it hurt. She had this strange urge to see him, hold him and... Oh... Heat? How many months had it been, three and a half? Hopefully not. After all, she needed to check some things in Natalie's story. It was either the worst lie she had ever heard and in that case the good doctor couldn't be trusted, or she was hiding things that could get dangerous - which also meant she needed to find out more. 


	2. Part two

Part two  
  
Part two  
  
AN: For those wondering about this or the other story that is wip. Have I ever written anything but M/L?  
  
  
  
Logan was pacing the floor of his office as if it were of vital importance that he polish it thoroughly. He had even put on the exoskeleton for just that purpose, so that he could pace to his heart's content. While he realized his mind had crossed the boundary between normal behaviour and sheer desperation, he could care less.  
  
When Bling had come in this morning, the man had been forced to retreat in a hurry. Logan felt sorry for snapping at his friend like that. Bling had probably seen some of his worst patients in Logan. But the only thing Logan didn't need right now, was to listen to more or less subtle hints on how he should stand by Max. Hell, he'd do a lot more than that.  
  
Logan was well past the stage where he would moon and sigh over her. Ever since the moment he had seen her in his penthouse, just as he was about to broadcast the Eyes Only hack exposing Manticore, he could think of nothing else than that she was alive. Max had come back to him. He hadn't hesitated in taking hold of her then, kissing her with all his might, losing himself in her eyes, in the feel of her body pressed to his.  
  
Right now he had the same urge to kiss her, bury his head in her fragrant chest, show her how much she meant to him. For a moment he tried to imagine how she would come in through that door and he would sweep her off her feet, feel her, warm and soft, roll a strand of hair in his fingers, kiss her breath away.  
  
And then he'd die. Blissfully. Either that or she would punch him to kingdom come. Yeah, pacing was definitely the adequate alternative.  
  
But pacing didn't bring him the long sought after release. He stopped abruptly in his tracks, almost stumbling from the momentum, as the front door slammed shut and her voice penetrated the heavy silence of his penthouse.  
  
"Logan?"  
  
Logan's confusion was mounting with each second passing. It was Max, her voice resounding between his ears, as strong and demanding as ever. Oh, well, so much for his hopes and dreams. Pipe dreams. Were they ?  
  
Max strode in with predatory grace, her movements liquid, her eyes fixing him with.....desire?  
  
"You do like surprises, don't you?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why didn't you tell me about Natalie? I would have protected her a lot better the other night."  
  
Max's grin seemed out of place on her flushed face, but at least she was smiling.  
  
So, she did want the cure. For a while he had been concerned the virus could be a welcome excuse for her to end their awkward relationship.  
  
Max pranced forward, closing in on the tall figure darkly delineated against the soft streetlight.  
  
"Oh, Natalie..."  
  
Shit, seeing him standing there all dreamy eyed and surprised by her sudden appearance made her melt in her cat suit, hot with desire. Would she pool at his feet, envelopping him in a liquid embrace, swallowing him up, never to let go?  
  
One step forward...  
  
RRRRRIIIINNNNGGGG!  
  
Two steps back.  
  
Just in time, too. She needed to get herself under control, the consequences could be...  
  
Weird. She felt hot for him, wanted his body, his soul, all of him. But when it came to acting it out, she felt as if she had enough control over herself, which was not the case with any other assorted male. She had gladly jumped Normal the last time, but when it came down to Logan, she could control her boiling hormones. Scary. Did it mean she didn't really want him?  
  
Who was that on his cell phone ? He seemed concerned.  
  
She had in fact just a few clear choices. She could, a, jump him and eventually kill him, b, lock herself in and avoid any male for the next 48 hours or c, go and act out her dirty thoughts with the first specimen of the three legged gender that crossed her path, wondering all the time why she would be looking into Logan's face.  
  
"Natalie? Natalie?" His voice was high pitched and slightly frantic.  
  
Natalie ? That old hag better stay away from him or she'd show her what genetic recombination meant - using spare body parts instead of DNA strands.  
  
"Damn!" Logan muttered.  
  
"What, did she misplace the virus samples? Or maybe they were alive and ran away when they saw her?"  
  
"Max! This is serious. Let's go, I'll tell you on the road."  
  
What was it with Max and Natalie ? Maybe Max saw another of the Manticore doctors from hell in the older woman. At any rate, this was getting tedious. If it was one thing he could live without, it was two women griping over... Over what?  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"To your bike."  
  
"What do you mean, my bike, where's your car?"  
  
"Bling took it to the mechanic's this morning, had some problem with the ignition."  
  
"Now what?"  
  
"What do you mean, we can take your bike, can't we?"  
  
That very moment it occurred to him. Shit.  
  
"Well, you have gloves and a jacket on and my sweater is pretty heavy. We'll just be careful."  
  
"Logan..."  
  
"Max, hurry up, this is for real!"  
  
Max straddled her baby in a fierce movement, gripping the handles as if they were Renfro's throat, steeling herself for the sensation of Logan's chest against her back. And there it was, the feel of her cool shirt and jacket sticking to her burning back, first as a bare wisp, then pressing against her whole spine, from her neck to the waist and then, hesitatingly, his arms snaking around her shivering forms, barely touching her and yet making her feel trapped and protected at the same time.  
  
It was good to know he had her back.  
  
God! Manticore couldn't have invented a more effective torture than this!  
  
"So, what happened?"  
  
Logan was snapped out of his reverie, jerked out of the blissful memory of his first ride with Max: their first bike ride, the night he had thought he could walk again.  
  
"Natalie said she had found something very weird and needed to check it against a new set of samples. Sam Carr was there with her and he was just as puzzled."  
  
"Dr. Carr? Damn, I told her not to talk to anybody! You'd think she'd know better after her work with the Toronto P.D."  
  
"Yeah, well, she said she needed a second opinion. But before she could tell me what was actually going on, there was a loud crash and the line went dead."  
  
They both felt silent, neither wanting to voice the certainty nagging at their crumbling facade of normalcy: that they would find both Natalie and Sam dead or kidnapped, or even worse, that with those two gone, their tiny shred of hope would disintegrate into nothingness, suspending them both in the everlasting limbo of knowing the other was there, so sweet and willing, yet just out of reach.  
  
As the wind whipped her cheek and moisture gathered in the corner of her eyes, Max let out a sighed whisper to herself and to the Blue Lady: "one more hurdle, just one more."  
  
Oblivious to the implications, Logan tightened his hold on Max as he encircled her waist with open palms, leaning forward over her ramrod straight back, enfolding her with his body warmth as his chin rested on her jacket clad shoulder. As if expecting it, for one precious moment, Max forgot about her heated body's desires and relaxed, revelling in the tender embrace that spoke of passion and yet promised a lot more. 


	3. Part three

Part ten  
  
AN: Thanks to Dancinstar: her betaing skills are amazing and her support is very much appreciated.  
  
By the time they reached the cabin, the tension had become unbearable for both of them. This was the place where they had shared their first kiss, the kiss that had expressed all the emotions they had buried deep inside - friendship, respect, desire, passion, love . hurt. Now all of it seemed an eternity away: their chances of finally being together were at an all-time low.  
  
Memories, awkward feelings and heated spirits stopped being important as Max and Logan glanced at the open cabin door, fleetingly taking note of Sam's car in the driveway.  
  
Max went in first, but not before shooting a disapproving glare at Logan's drawn gun. She found the main room of the cabin empty, shattered vials and dismembered equipment strewn everywhere.  
  
Logan silently picked up the phone that had fallen to the floor and placed it on the nearby table. He began to look through the mess, searching for any clues that would tell him what might have happened to Natalie and Sam.  
  
Suddenly an eerie sensation took hold of him. Every muscle in his back tensed, every little hair on his neck stood up at attention. Something told him he was being watched. Natural instinct told him to run to run, but he stopped in his tracks. He debated whether he should quickly turn around to confront his adversary or continue searching as if nothing was wrong.  
  
Deciding for the first option, he jerked his head around. Blue eyes met brown.  
  
He sighed in relief. Max. It was just Max. Then why had he felt like prey about to be swallowed by a giant predator?  
  
"Have you found anything ?", Logan tried to concentrate.  
  
But she just continued staring and he couldn't help feeling ogled.  
  
"Max, we need to find them, help me out here. I need you..."  
  
"Yeah, me too", she murmured.  
  
Logan felt his cheeks grow hot and threw her an embarrassed look.  
  
"What ?" she snapped only seconds later, noticing Logan's befuddled expression. "I'm looking".  
  
Puzzled, Logan tried to decipher her mood. The way she was looking at him ... could it be ? She knew the dangers of the virus, she wouldn't stare like that unless...  
  
"God, Max, stay with me here. Are you in heat ?"  
  
"I'm not hot, but you seem to be".  
  
With an almost desperate gesture, Logan ploughed a hand through his already messy hair. Of all the times this could have happened...  
  
She squirmed, unable to peel her gaze away from his hand.  
  
"What can I do?" But as soon as the words were out, he realized his mistake.  
  
She started moving towards him.  
  
"Max, get a grip! We need to find Natalie and the cure and then we can spend the rest of our lives in this cabin as far as I'm concerned."  
  
She continued to approach him with light, liquid steps, her deep brown eyes never leaving his.  
  
"Max !"  
  
It was like trying to reason with a cobra. Or a panther. A tiger ? She was none of those. It's just Max, he tried to tell his panicky heart. Hell, who was he trying to fool ? There was no such thing as "just Max".  
  
Her slow movement forward seemed so. right. The scene of their one dance together flashed before his eyes, sweeping him away in a blissful whirl. He forgot to breathe, losing himself in the dizzying depths of her eyes. She was his angel, his Max, and he belonged to her, body and soul. It was Max, his Max, his dark angel, gracious, beautiful Max, Max, Max.  
  
It was the slight purr mere feet away from him that jolted him out of the admirative stance.  
  
Shit! He had no choice. With a jerky move he grabbed the water pitcher on the table and threw its contents at her, careful not to get wet with any of the liquid that had touched her.  
  
No matter how serious the situation, the wet cat look on her face as water dripped down the curly strands of her hair was too much even for level- headed Logan. He broke into a light chuckle, to which the thoroughly humiliated Max responded with a killer panther glare.  
  
"You better stop laughing before I kick your ass, virus or no virus. Stop checking me out and start looking for clues."  
  
The passion she put into her anger didn't cover the state of her rebellious hormones.  
  
"Ditto, Max," Logan answered and turned his back to her. It might not have been a smart move, but the sight of her pouty lips curled in rage and the water droplets slipping down the curve of her neck were doing things to him he didn't want to acknowledge. Besides, he could barely suppress a mad bout of laughter as it was. Seeing her shake her curly head to get rid of the water would only make things worse.  
  
Max felt her cheeks grow even redder than before. Being in the same room with Logan reminded her too much of the humiliation. She went out to the front porch, disregarding his furtive glance at her backside. Let him look for clues. *She* needed to clear her head.  
  
Seeing the cabin again had sent waves upon waves of memories to her. She and Logan, they had always been like that: he blah-blah woof-woofed all the time, concerned about the fate of humans, while she prowled the roofs of Seattle, looking out for her own well being. She had never been designed to be man's best friend. But that one kiss through the window of a car had changed everything. His world had become hers and her world had intruded upon his, everything merging into that one desperately passionate exchange.  
  
She had meant it as "good-bye", as "thank you", as a token of what she would always feel for him wherever in the world she might be. She hadn't counted on it tearing down her perimeter defenses and dispelling the fog bank. She hadn't known that with one kiss she would forever take leave of her Manticore-bred carelessness. They should have warned her. One kiss could induce the loss of your heart. Too bad those things didn't come with an instruction manual. Or maybe she had counted on a certain immunity, considering that Manticore had exchanged the defective part with Zack's.  
  
"Yes, Max, think mechanics", she murmured to herself. Spare parts, anatomy ? No! Mechanics! It was no use. The warm, fuzzy feeling was still there, even though she felt she had mastered her hormones enough to be near Logan again.  
  
With a last look at the surroundings, Max frowned. There were no signs of a vehicle recently passing by. Sam's car was still there and Natalie didn't have one. How had they gotten away with two hostages ? Unless there were no hostages... She shivered.  
  
She was just about to voice her concerns when Logan called from the backyard.  
  
Max surrounded the house in no time. She forcefully threw open the door to the wooden shack behind the cabin only to be greeted by the sight of Logan bent over Sam. Max slowly wet her parched lips, losing focus on anything else but the gorgeous display in front of her.  
  
"Max, help me untie him!"  
  
Logan's fingers were trembling and he felt he couldn't control his anxiety anymore. In his state it would probably take forever before Dr. Carr got free. The older man didn't seem to be seriously hurt, but he wasn't conscious either.  
  
Alas, it seemed Max wasn't much better on the job than him. In such a confined space seconds trickled by like eons before they were able to break him free and haul him to the couch in front of the fireplace. The man's pulse was strong and regular. There were no signs of injuries. Why wasn't he waking up ?  
  
Logan was startled from his musings by a sudden move from Max. She had risen from her chair and approached Sam. After feeling for his pulse she began to shake his head back and forth, lightly slapping him here and there.  
  
For a few seconds, Logan felt an incredible surge of anger washing over him. What was she doing? Her curls were brushing Sam's face ! That would have to wake up even the dead! He wasn't used to being jealous and in this situation it seemed ridiculous. But he just couldn't help himself. After wondering briefly if he should use the water pitcher on both Sam and Max, Logan got a grip on himself. He noticed that the slaps Max was dishing out were not of the gentle kind. In fact, her eyes blazed with despair and frustration. He should probably intervene before she bruised Sam more than his attacker had.  
  
Just then, the doctor opened his eyes and closed them immediately as a rather rough slap made contact with his cheek.  
  
"Max, stop, you'll just knock him out again."  
  
"Ouch! Max, is that you ?"  
  
Dr. Carr carefully opened his eyes again, simultaneously raising his hands to the face as if to block any more blows. But this time Max helped him get up to a seated position and Logan offered him a glass of water.  
  
"Sam, are you all right ?"  
  
"I guess so. I feel like I overslept."  
  
"You mean you were just taking a nap bound and gagged on the floor of the shack?", Max retorted. "Maybe we should have left you there to dream."  
  
Amazed by the resentment in her voice, Sam looked at Logan. "What happened to her?"  
  
"Don't mind her, she's just upset that Natalie is nowhere to be found. What happened?"  
  
Sam frowned, his eyebrows almost uniting. He hesitated: "I don't remember. I don't know what happened. It's all very foggy. I'm sorry."  
  
"Yeah, the story of my life." Max felt an inexplicable bout of anger grip her. "Call me when you know something", she spat without even looking at Logan and went out to sit on the porch.  
  
Embarrassed, Logan tried to make amends. "Sorry for that, she is just not herself today." Sam nodded absently.  
  
"What is the last thing you remember?", he prodded.  
  
Sam leaned back on the couch and eyed Logan wearily.  
  
"Natalie called me. She was very excited. She said she had found something highly unusual."  
  
"You mean other than the genetically engineered DNA?"  
  
"You remember, I said I had no idea if the virus could be cured. It keeps mutating and everything we apply grows useless when the virus adapts after a few hours."  
  
"Yes.". Logan was getting impatient.  
  
"Well, Natalie wanted me to bring previous samples of the virus and the notes I had taken. She said it eerily resembled something she had worked on before."  
  
"And ?"  
  
"And I grabbed the samples and came over. I don't remember arriving or anything after that."  
  
Logan could barely contain his disappointment. By now he could understand why Max had chosen to step out before getting violent. He had to keep in mind that Sam was the good guy. However, that didn't mean his memory loss was any less annoying.  
  
Sam looked at Logan and cringed at the pain he could read in the younger man's features. He tried again to remember, but everything was so fuzzy. It seemed like he was just about to spell out what had happened when everything retreated into a black fog of nothingness. If it was frustrating for him, he could imagine what Logan felt. And somehow, he was glad Max was not around right now.  
  
Logan decided to try again.  
  
"Sam, you are the neurologist. You know best how memory loss functions. Do you have any ideas on how that could have occurred? I mean, did you hit your head?"  
  
"Not that I remember." Sam cringed again. This was more than embarrassing. And by now he could almost feel the pain emanating from Logan.  
  
"Maybe if we found something to physically remind you of the moment of your arrival...", Logan mused. "Can you get up ?"  
  
Sam shakily got on his feet and stretched. At Logan's concerned look, he hurried to reassure him: "I'm fine."  
  
Logan nodded, his eyebrows knit together.  
  
"Let's see, what do your notes look like, help me find them. The samples, too."  
  
"It's a notebook with a brown cover. It's pretty worn out."  
  
"Max, could you get over here and help us, please ?!"  
  
Logan wasn't sure he did the right thing calling her back in, but he imagined doing something would help her more than just sitting out there moaning over spilt milk.  
  
She came in, still flushed, her eyes bright with something Logan refused to identify. At least she had calmed down.  
  
"Anything?" Her voice was subdued. Nothing of the predatory wild cat remained in her stance.  
  
"No. But we're looking for a brown notebook. I figured six eyes were better than my eyes only." Logan gulped at his lapse as well as at the large smile she gave him before starting to rummage through the piles upon piles of paper strewn around.  
  
Sam sported a puzzled look on his face and then he suddenly grinned.  
  
"Wait, I remember asking Natalie about Eyes Only."  
  
Both Max and Logan froze at that statement.  
  
"We were over there at the table, she was telling me something about hormones and I asked her if she had ever met Eyes Only."  
  
"And?", both Max and Logan exclaimed at once.  
  
Sam contemplated them both for a moment, before his intense look fell on Logan and he made a decision he knew he would never regret.  
  
"I probably remember this because it came as a shock. She said he was a great guy and if she were any younger she wouldn't let him slip away". Sam continued to observe the two people in front of him, watching how one grew quite flushed, if not beet red, and how the other's eyes became slits through which angry blazes flared.  
  
Logan caught himself first. "What did you say those samples looked like ? I found some stuff over here."  
  
Sam did not feel guilty for his lie. Not one second. Memory is a tricky thing. You try to remember something and search for it with all your might, only to be rewarded with other details, completely uncalled for, suddenly clicking into place. Natalie had indeed mentioned that Eyes Only was a great guy, but she hadn't elaborated on it. Sam didn't know what had prompted him to add to that and observe their reactions. It was enough that he had.  
  
He approached Logan, careful not to let anything slip out again.  
  
"Yes, these are the samples I brought over." Seeing that Logan had reached for them, he almost yelled: "Pay attention with that, you don't want to touch it !" He grabbed the slides from next to Logan and glared at him for his carelessness.  
  
Hearing the commotion, Max looked up and bestowed upon Logan another glance that seemed to seductively whisper:  
  
"Next time you want to get close to that virus, just come to me, ok?"  
  
Logan shivered. He sure hoped her heat was not something transmissible. He probably wouldn't survive it. 


End file.
